NewsLiverpool's Greatest - No.51: Jack Balmer

• Years: 1935-1952

• Appearances: 309

• Goals: 110

• Trophies: First Division (1946-47)

Jack Balmer is one of only 19 men in history to score 100 goals for Liverpool.

And his tally would likely have been even bigger had his professional career not been paused due to World War II.

The striker displayed his potency for the Reds either side of the hostilities, having arrived after a spell at Everton in 1935.

“He was anything but the old-fashioned centre-forward who could burst through, brushing aside the challenge of big, beefy defenders,” Bob Paisley, who played with Balmer at Anfield, once wrote.

“He relied on his wonderful ball skills but was always ready to take a shot at goal.”

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Balmer enjoyed his most prolific season in 1946-47, when his 24 league goals helped secure the club a first top-flight crown for nearly a quarter of a century.

That campaign included the remarkable feat of scoring hat-tricks in three successive league matches, with Portsmouth, Derby County and Arsenal on the receiving end.

Leading by example, Balmer was appointed captain in 1947 and went on to wear the Liverpool armband for three years.

His final outing for the Reds came in 1952 and he bowed out with 110 goals from 309 appearances.

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